The Metropolis and Mental Health: Are Big Cities Making Us Sick?
It is often said that we are living through another period of mass urbanisation – an age in which more and more people, in all regions of the world, are moving from rural towns and villages and trying to make their lives in cities – often megacities with upwards of 25m inhabitants. Indeed, the United…
Antioxidants Might Actually Make Cancer Worse
Antioxidants have made a fortune for the dietary supplement industry, but how many people really know what they are and why they’re supposedly good for you? One common claim is that the these molecules can protect you from cancer. This is supposedly because they can counteract other molecules known as “reactive oxygen species” or “free…
How Oklahoma Declared War on Obesity—and What’s Happened Since
When Oklahoma declared a “war on obesity,” it planned to change the city’s infrastructure and encourage healthy living at a huge scale. So far its population has lost a million pounds of fat—but is that enough to defeat obesity? When Velveth Monterroso arrived in the USA from her hometown in Guatemala, she weighed exactly 140…
Simply Counting Births and Deaths Could Solve Health Inequity in Africa
In Africa, only four countries record more than 75% of their births and deaths. This creates an unequal system and impacts on how governments plan for these citizens. For many African countries and especially among poorer communities, when people die there is no trace in any official legal record or statistic. It is common for…
There’s a Reliable Therapy for Sex Offenders — But Nobody Wants Them to Get It
In June of 1994, a convicted child molester named Charlie Taylor moved into a small apartment in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, across the street from a community center. He had no family. He had no parole officer. At the time, sex offenders deemed too dangerous to be let out of prison early were, paradoxically, released…
Do You Really Need to Take Painkillers Only After Food?
It’s long been thought that anti-inflammatory painkillers need to be taken at the same time as food to protect the stomach. But a handbook for doctors has recently moved away from this advice. Medical media recently reported that a clinicians’ reference handbook had changed advice on how to take the painkiller ibuprofen – commonly sold…
Why Standing in One Place Makes Your Legs More Sore Than Walking
Working retail, waiting tables, standing in line at the amusement park or just shopping with mom, anyone who’s ever been stuck on their feet for a long time more or less standing still knows that it’s much more tiring than walking the equivalent amount of time. But why? First, when you stand, your legs aren’t…
Is Your Sleep App Keeping You Up at Night?
Tracking sleep is now routine in monitoring overall well-being. But are the devices used to do this actually useful, or have we simply found a more sophisticated way to clock watch? Sleep is as important to health as diet and exercise and, thanks to new technology, tracking sleep is now routine in monitoring overall well-being.…
How Hormones Make You Feel Hungry and Full
The need to find fuel to generate energy is a profound drive within the biology of all living organisms: we all need food to survive. So it’s not surprising that our bodies have such a complex system to control food intake, driven by hormones. Hormone levels also change when we lose weight. As much as…
When Are You Going to Get Your Prescription MDMA?
Not long ago, the idea of walking up to a clerk behind a counter and getting a baggie of weed seemed ludicrous. Now, in states where recreational or medical marijuana is approved and regulated, it’s a routine, mundane part of life. Are psychedelics next? It may seem like a similar scenario isn’t far off for…
Just How Safe Is Laser Eye Surgery?
The offers began arriving by email in January: a chance at clearer vision for the special price of US$299 per eye. Over the next four months, I received 20 ads from the same company – each offering the same deal for the “safe, FDA approved” surgery. “Individual results will vary,” each ad said in the…